Can You Imagine That?
by garfieldodie
Summary: My take on a Calvin and Hobbes movie. Calvin and Hobbes venture out on a mission to get the neighborhood kids back. What they don't know is that Calvin's imagination is about to come to life. Please R&R. Completed!
1. Default Chapter

_This is my take on a Calvin and Hobbes movie. It's farfetched, so it's pretty much what you'd see in any Calvin and Hobbes story. Enjoy._

**Chapter 1: **_The Calvins; They Are A-Changin'… Well, sort of._

It was a beautiful summer morning. All was quiet. Suddenly, a wagon rattled through the peaceful landscape. At the steering handle was a blonde-headed 6-year old named Calvin. Behind him was his best friend in the whole world, a tiger named Hobbes. They had their differences (Hobbes always said that animals were better than humans, and Calvin usually agreed), but they stuck together. Be it a trip traveling through time, making copies of themselves or even transmogrifying into some sort of creature, they always kept together.

Today was a special day. Calvin had just finished 1st Grade at long last. Hobbes didn't go to school for obvious reasons, but he declared that tigers wrecked the grade curve. Calvin was excited to be going to 2nd Grade at long last. His teacher, Miss Wormwood, was the first reason. Calvin had seen their assignments a little too advanced for 1st Grade. Susie Derkins was the other. She wasn't going to be in his class this year. Tommy Chestnut, who was actually the smartest 1st Grader Calvin had ever known, was going to be in his class. Calvin hoped he would give an actual answer when Calvin asked him for answers.

Calvin steered roughly along the dirt path. Hobbes has never really like these little trips. Calvin always gets philosophical during these rides, and then they get a visual aide to go with it. It was usually them falling into some deep ravine or chasm that either had a briar patch or a river. Today, Hobbes was determined to make sure that didn't happen by making sure Calvin didn't look behind him for any reason.

"This is perfect, Hobbes!" cried Calvin. "2nd Grade! Wow! I never thought that I'd make it."

"Neither did anyone else," chuckled Hobbes.

Calvin ignored him. "It'll be so sweet! No Miss Wormwood, no Susie, no huge piles of homework and lunch is earlier than usual!"

"You're three fourths correct," said Hobbes.

"Huh? Whaddya mean??"

"There _won't_ be any Miss Wormwood _or_ Susie. Lunch _will_ be earlier. However, the higher into school you get, the bigger the workload."

"Oh, puh-leeze," scoffed Calvin. "It'll be a snap! I'll admit, it will take awhile get into, but after October, I'll have that teacher right where I want her. She'll be putty in my hands."

"Yeah," replied Hobbes. "Really dry putty that's as hard as a rock!"

"Let's change the subject," said Calvin, hoping to avoid the argument getting any worse. "I can see Susie over there. You got the water balloons?"

Hobbes grinned. "Would I let the G.R.O.S.S. club down?" He presented a paper bag. He pulled out two big water balloons.

"Perfect!" said Calvin. "Get ready to throw." Calvin took a water balloon and steered the wagon towards Susie. "On my mark! Three… Two… One… FIRE!"

Calvin and Hobbes threw with all their might. The water balloons came in right on the marks. Susie let out a scream!

"Ha, ha!" cried Calvin. "Direct hit! I say some medals are over when we get back to G.R.O.S.S. Headquarters."

"Oh, boy!" said Hobbes. He turned around to watch Susie. "Try and speed up. She's got her wind back and she's gaining."

"We'll lose her in the woods," said Calvin. "Hold on!"

Calvin turned the handle and the wagon rolled into the forest. Just then, they heard a Susie scream.

"What happened to her?" asked Calvin.

"Why do you care?" asked Hobbes suspiciously.

"Because if she got killed, then G.R.O.S.S. will be temporarily be out of business. She's the only enemy we can find right now."

"Good point," admitted Hobbes. He turned around again. "I don't see her. I guess that's good. She can't kill us now."

"Good," Calvin sighed.

The wagon rolled helplessly along. This meant that they would have to wait until they reached the bottom of the hill.

Calvin spoke up after awhile. "Mom wants me to sweep the back porch this afternoon. Can you believe it? I just left school, and she turns me into her personal slave."

"Yeah, I know," Hobbes muttered, annoyed at Calvin's common laziness. "Calvin, your mom does a lot for you."

"Oh, yeah?" Calvin sniffed. "Like what?"

"She feeds you, shelters you, keeps you safe…"

"Okay, okay! Man, I hate having things put into perspective."

"I know. That's why I do it."

"You enjoy it, don't you?"

"Yup."

"Still, I don't see why I have to help around the house! I've already done my part to make this world a better place!"

"Really?" Hobbes was surprised. "What's that?"

"I was born!" Calvin yelled.

Hobbes rolled his eyes skyward. "Oh, yes. I forgot to thank you."

"Join the club."

Hobbes' eyes were still upwards. His eyes were wide and his mouth agape. He tapped Calvin on the shoulder. "Um, Calvin?"

"What?"

"Look up."

"I can't. I'm steering the wagon."

Hobbes' head went down and he frowned. "Now, of all times, you want to pay attention to the path?? What is wrong with you??"

Calvin was surprised. "You told me this morning to keep looking ahead! What do you want??"

"It'll just take half a second," Hobbes replied.

"Really?"

"Trust me. After that amount of time, you won't want to look back again."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I know I don't."

Calvin took a quick peek. Hobbes was right. He didn't want to look back. "What on earth was that?" he gasped.

"You steer!" yelled Hobbes, turning around in his spot. "I'll describe!"

Hobbes looked up. "Okay, it would appear to be a bronze colored, metallic claw reaching down for us. It's got a hole on one side and a block on the other. It has five teeth on the top and bottom each. It is extending from a car that looks like a very cool bumper car."

"Oh, I love those things," interrupted Calvin. "Please continue."

"The car is a very beautiful shade of light blue with a red stripe going across the front in between two headlights. It's very stylish, I must say. It's being driven by some crazy looking bald guy wearing a white lab coat. He has really goofy sideburns and has on some very interesting goggles."

Calvin was nervous. "What're we going to do?" he cried. "Why is he chasing us? How will we escape? Where does this path lead? When will our bedtime be?"

"Shut up and steer!" yelled Hobbes as he turned around again.

Calvin did just that. He wished this was just a fantasy like Spaceman Spiff or Tracer Bullet that he could just have someone wake him up from, but that wasn't very likely to happen. He would've woken up at the sight of the claw!

Calvin then spotted the drop in the hill up ahead. It was pretty steep. "Hang on, Hobbes!" he yelled. "We'll lose him on the hill."

Hobbes didn't need telling twice. He held on for dear life as the wagon dropped down at what felt like 100mph! "I THINK WE LEFT MY STOMACH AT THE TOP OF THE HILL!!" he yelled.

"NO TIME TO GO BACK FOR IT!" replied Calvin. "AS SOON AS WE MAKE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STONE BRIDGE, WE'LL BE IN THE CLEAR!!"

Hobbes looked back up the hill. He could see the claw-car getting smaller and smaller. "I THINK WE LOST HIM!!" he yelled.

"PERFECT! WE DID IT, OL' BUDDY! WE'RE HOME FR… HOLY GOOD GRAVY! LOOK AT THE BRIDGE!!"

Off in the distance, Calvin and Hobbes could see the old stone bridge. It spanned out over a deep river. They had crossed it several times. Now, the stones in the middle were falling out. Suddenly, the entire middle section of the bridge was gone!

Calvin and Hobbes screamed. "OH, NO!" wailed Calvin. "I'M LIVING THE AGONY OF DEFEAT!!"

"THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING A LOT IN YOUR LIFE, HASN'T IT?" Hobbes joked, hoping to lighten his mood a little.

Before Calvin could retort, he found himself having to grab a stick. He stuck it in the ground to slow them down a little. It was enough to stop them from toppling over the edge of the bridge.

"Phew!" sighed Hobbes. "That was a close one. Good thinking!"

"Thanks," sighed Calvin. Then he remembered. "Do you think that guy is still following us?"

"Nah," said Hobbes. "We lost him a ways away."

Just then, they turned around at the sound of a claw snapping. The guy was still following.

Calvin glared at Hobbes. Hobbes grinned sheepishly. "Of, course," he chuckled, "I could be wrong."

Unfortunately, the guy couldn't stop in time. The claw-car rammed the wagon so hard, it flew into the air.

Calvin and Hobbes screamed all the way, holding onto each other. Their landing was a lot different then they had anticipated. Instead of a long fall and a splash, it was a short sail through the air and a crash.

They opened their eyes and realized that they were on the other side of the bridge. They let out a sigh of relief.

Calvin got out of the wagon and stuck his tongue out at the guy on the other side, who was extremely furious. He shook his fist at them.

"You can try all you want, pal!" he yelled. "You'll never catch Calvin and Hobbes and our Wonder Wagon.

Before the guy could reply, his section of broken bridge creaked and groaned and he and the car fell straight down to the river below.

Calvin peered over the edge. "I almost feel sorry for him," he sighed.

"The keyword there, Calvin," said Hobbes "is almost."

Suddenly, their section of the bridge was crumbling. Hobbes got out of the wagon and tossed it aside. He then grabbed Calvin and they got off just in time. They watched the stones fall.

"Phew!" sighed Calvin. "Thanks, Hobbes."

Hobbes smiled. "No problem." He looked down the river and frowned. "I wonder what happened to that guy."

"I say we have a G.R.O.S.S. meeting when we get home to decide what to do."

"What's this got to do with getting rid of slimy girls?"

"Well, it happened right after we attacked Susie."

"Good point. Only we're faced with the problem of how to get home. We can't get across the river. What should we do?"

There was no answer.

"Calvin? Any ideas?"

Still no answer.

"Calvin? Hello! Anyone there?"

Still no answer.

"His lights are on, but nobody's home!" muttered Hobbes. "Come on, Calvin! Put that so called genius of yours to work."

Finally, there was an answer, but not the kind of answer Hobbes wanted.

"Keep calm, brave sidekick," Calvin muttered.

"'_SIDEKICK_'?" Hobbes cried. "I'm your sidekick? Is that what you think I am?"

Calvin simply said, "Yes. You are my sidekick. Even Stupendous Man needs a sidekick. Now, please be quiet while my stupendous brain thinks this situation over."

Hobbs rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead. "Come on, Calvin!" he cried. "This is no time for a bout around Mr. Calvin's Neighborhood! We need to get home!"

There was no answer.

"Oh, boy. Time for a fantasy sequence," he muttered.

_Tell me what you think so far..._


	2. Where is Susie?

**Chapter 2: **_Where is Susie?_

Calvin had always seen the world a certain way. That was why he was the only one who actually saw Hobbes as the perfect hybrid of a human and a tiger who was usually into the same stuff he was. Of course, Calvin's imagination was so strong that it gave him the ability.

Right now, instead of a forest, he saw a hideous secret lair. Instead of a deep river between the two cliffs, there was a river of molten lava. Instead of Hobbes and a wagon, he saw a his trusty sidekick, Tiger Lad, and their space convertable.

"The valiant, gallant and all around good groovy guy Stupendous Man concludes that he must jump to the other side of the two cliffs," Calvin muttered.

He was about to jump, but Hobbes stopped him in time.

"Calvin, what the heck are you trying to do? Kill yourself?"

"Stupendous Man's sidekick, Tiger Lad," Calvin muttered, "saves our hero from a terrible fate. Apparently, Stupendous Man forgot about the fact his powers were stolen by the evil Claw Man."

Hobbes was stunned. "'Tiger Lad'?" he repeated.

"Stupendous Man walks down the long room, in search of a possible way of getting across."

Calvin walked down the side of the cliff.

"Where're you going?" asked Hobbes, who followed with the wagon.

"Our hero leads Tiger Lad to the far end of the room. He finds a long metal piece of building material. Using what's left of his great Stupendous strength, he manages to place it across the river of lava to the other side of the room."

Calvin took a long, rotten piece of wood and placed across the river to the other cliff.

Hobbes was impressed.

"Stupendous Man motions for Tiger Lad to cross over first with their ship."

Hobbes looked at the rotting piece of wood. He wasn't sure if it was safe enough. "Well," he sighed. "It's worth a shot." He walked steadily across, carrying the wagon. He managed to make it to the other side.

"Well I'll be!" he exclaimed.

"Tiger Lad safely makes it!" Calvin muttered. "Now it's Stupendous Man to make it."

Calvin cautiously stepped onto the piece of wood. "Our hero slowly but surely walks across the beam. Suddenly, the beam snaps in two!" The wood broke. "Our hero makes a Stupendous jump to the other side!" Calvin jumped and landed at Hobbes' feet. "Stupendous Man is safe at last!"

Hobbes was relieved that his friend wasn't hurt, but he was a little annoyed.

"Calvin, cut the Stupendous Man talk. Snap out of it!" He picked Calvin up and shook him. He then dropped him on the ground.

Calvin looked around. The room and the lava had disappeared. He was back in the forest. Tiger Lad wasn't there anymore or the space convertible. He saw Hobbes and the wagon.

"Sorry about that," said Calvin. "I spaced out there." He looked again. "Hey, how did we make it across?"

Hobbes groaned. "Never mind. Let's get to G.R.O.S.S. Headquarters to discuss what to do about that guy."

"You bet," said Calvin.

As they walked back up the hill, Hobbes asked, "Stupendous Man has a sidekick, huh? What's he look like? Is he as handsome as me?"

Calvin rolled his eyes. "Sure, Hobbes. Whatever you say."

Later on, Calvin and Hobbes were in the tree house. It was their clubhouse. It also served as G.R.O.S.S. Headquarters. G.R.O.S.S. stands for Get Rid Of Slimy girlS. They always plotted to annoy their arch enemy, Susie Derkins, or do other things, like plot ambushes on people like his parents.

Today, they had to go over certain things.

Calvin called out, "This meeting of the **G**et **R**id **O**f **S**limy Girl**S** Club is now in session! Before we begin, we must debate whether or not to demote President Hobbes on charges of Heresy."

Hobbes was alarmed and furious. "Heresy?!?"

Calvin spoke the case. "Yesterday, you made a remark on the feasible membership of Susie Derkins. She is the _rival _of our club. Plus, she's a girl!"

Hobbes snorted, "I vote that Dictator-For-Life Calvin be demoted on the grounds of being a complete idiot."

Calvin was furious now. "And for insulting a member whom outranks you, you receive twenty demerits."

"Outranks me?!" Hobbes shot back, "I've been doing some reading about politics, pally and..."

"Wait a minute!" Calvin shouted. "You were reading??"

"Only your History book. I was doing your homework. It said under American History thata president has more power than a mere Dictator! You don't outrank me! Therefore, I declare you null and void."

Calvin couldn't take it any longer. "That does it!"

He jumped Hobbes and they flew all about the tree house hitting and punching each other. After a minute of fighting, the dust settled. The two of them were on top of each other and out of breath.

"Truce?" panted Hobbes.

"Truce," agreed Calvin.

They dusted themselves off. Was this a great club or what?

The meeting began. "President and First Tiger Hobbes will now read the minutes of the last meeting."

"Thank you," said Hobbes. "'9:30-Meeting called to order. Dictator-For-Life Calvin proposes resolution condemning the existence of girls. 9:35-First Tiger abstains from vote. Motion fails. 9:36-Patriotism of First Tiger called into question. 9:37-Philosophical discussion. 10:15-Bandages administered. Dictator-For-Life rebuked for biting. 10:16-Forgot what debate was about. Medals of Bravery awarded to all parties.'"

"Thank you," said Calvin. "Now let's discuss…" Calvin paused. "What was this meeting for again?"

Hobbes was surprised and confused. "I can't remember," he said.

"Neither can I," said Calvin.

Despite what had happened had been really big, several blows to the heads earlier had done a little damage.

"Oh, well," sighed Calvin. "It'll come back to us and we'll go back to it later. I've got a new plan anyway."

Hobbes took out the notepad to record the minutes.

"Gentlemen," Calvin began, "The new purpose of today's meeting is to devise another brilliant plan to annoy our enemy!"

Hobbes muttered as he wrote, "Dictator-For-Life Calvin's bold proposal is greeted with Huzzahs from membership."

"We have tolerated the enemy's presence too long, I say!" Calvin continued.

"Shouts of assent. Much pounding on tables," muttered Hobbes, continuing to write. "Three cheers erupt for club ideals. Membership reduced to tears. More Huzzahs. Pandemonium ensues."

"Boy," sighed Calvin, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Leading a club is a heady experience."

Hobbes put the pad away. "Good meetings always turn into riots," he added.

"Now then," said Calvin. "Let's fill up some water balloons and go attack Susie!"

"Excuse me!" interrupted Hobbes. "A question from the floor."

"The Chair recognizes First Tiger Hobbes," said Calvin, motioning him to speak.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we fulfill that plan successfully this morning?"

"Yes, we did."

"What's the point of doing it again?"

"It's more complex this time."

"How so?"

"This time, it shall be four balloons instead of the usual two!"

"Ah," said Hobbes, holding his hand up. "Say no more."

"Then let's do it!"

They climbed down the rope ladder to begin work on the plan.

They soon had a bucket of water balloons to dump on Susie. Hobbes helped Calvin into the tree.

"Okay," said Calvin. "Here's the plan. When Susie comes by, we dump a load of four water balloons onto her noggin."

"What if she doesn't come by?" asked Hobbes.

"Then we sit in the tree all day."

Hobbes smiled as he settled onto the branch. "I love summer," he sighed.

Calvin smiled, too. "The days are just _packed_," he sighed.

They waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited.

An hour later, Calvin was officially beginning to grow confused.

"Odd," he muttered. "She should at least be walking near here."

Hobbes woke up from his nap. "Maybe she's going to the playground," he yawned.

"It's worth a shot," sighed Calvin. They climbed down from the tree.

The park was oddly quiet. No one was around. This took Calvin and Hobbes by surprise. Usually, the park was filled with kids. Everything was empty. The swings, the merry-go-round, the monkey bars and even the slide. Calvin could not believe it.

"I can't believe it," he said. "There are no lines! The place is deserted! Hobbes, do you know what this means?"

"That our plans to soak Susie are ruined?"

"Yeah, but that's not what I'm talking about! I'm saying we can have all the fun we want! There is no Susie! No Moe! No Tommy! No_ any_ kid! We can have unlimited fun until bedtime! This is gonna rule!"

Calvin and Hobbes had the time of their lives. They had never had time to swing so high. They had never known how fast a merry-go-round could spin. They practiced acrobatic tricks on the monkey bars. They went down the slide in so many different fashions that they couldn't keep track.

Calvin and Hobbes walked home that evening. They were laughing at all the fun they had had.

"That was the most fun I've had in my whole life!" said Calvin.

"Yeah!" laughed Hobbes. Then he thought of something. "How long will it last, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," explained Hobbes, "the kids aren't going to be gone forever. They'll be back from wherever they are later on."

"I know which is why we should enjoy this while we can." Then he thought of something, too. "Where do you think they went, anyway?"

"Well, it's summer, so they probably went on vacation."

"All at the same time?"

Hobbes stopped. That was odd.

"Oh, well," sighed Calvin. "We'll just have to put up with it."

"But we soaked Susie this morning," said Hobbes, nervously. "How could she have left so soon?"

"I dunno," replied Calvin. "Still, it's pretty cool being the only kid in the neighborhood."

Calvin and Hobbes agreed that vacation places were the best places that the kids could be.


	3. Getting on the Case!

**Chapter 3: **_Getting on the case!_

The next morning, Calvin and Hobbes were watching Saturday morning cartoons. They were eating Calvin's favorite cereal, Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs.

"This is the life, Hobbes," Calvin declared. "Being the only signs of youth left in the town, watching cartoons and eating chocolate cereal. This is perfect."

"Ugh," grunted Hobbes. "I beg to differ on the cereal part. This stuff makes the milk curdle."

"Oh, come on!" said Calvin. "Live a little! It's fortified with eight essential vitamins, so it's good for you!"

"Oh, please, this stuff is pure sugar. It's like eating a bowl of Milk Duds."

"Look," said Calvin, handing him the box. "It says so right here. It's part of a wholesome, nutritious balanced breakfast." He took another spoonful.

Hobbes turned the box over. "On _this _side, it shows a guy eating five grapefruit, a dozen bran muffins…"

"Y-y-you know w-why you sh-shake like that?" interrupted Calvin. "V-vitamin scarcity, I'll b-bet."

Hobbes looked up. He saw that Calvin was so hyper from this cereal that he was starting to shake.

He stopped shaking when the cartoons stopped.

"HEY! WHAT GIVES?? Stupid TV companies. They always have to ruin it when it gets to the best part."

"We interrupt your Saturday Morning Cartoons for an important announcement," an announcer said. "Several children in the Metropolitan area have disappeared without a trace. A young girl named Susie Derkins was kidnapped just yesterday."

Calvin and Hobbes could not believe their ears.

"Susie was kidnapped??" exclaimed Hobbes.

"Shhh," whispered Calvin.

Mrs. Derkins appeared on the screen.

"I looked out the kitchen window this morning and saw our neighbor Calvin and his stuffed tiger in their wagon approach Susie when she was in the backyard. Calvin threw two water balloons at her and soaked her. Susie started to chase him into the forest. Then I heard her scream! I went out to find her, but I couldn't." She started to sob.

"What about that Calvin kid?" asked the reporter.

"I saw him going up the hill with the wagon and his tiger. Susie wasn't with him, so I figured he didn't know what had happened."

The main announcer returned to the screen. "Everyone is advised to stay indoors until the missing children are located. That is all. We now return you to your cartoons."

The second the cartoons went on, the TV went off.

"Hey!" yelled Calvin. He searched for the remote. It wasn't anywhere on the couch. He looked up. There were his parents. His mom held the remote. "We were watching TV."

"And now you're not," said his mom.

"After hearing that, we might as well take our vacation now," said his dad.

"Where are we going?" asked Calvin.

"Camping, of course."

Calvin and his mom groaned.

"Why can't we stay at a four star hotel that has cable TV and Room Service?" asked Calvin.

"Yes, why can't we?" asked his mom.

"Because camping is so much more fun," replied Dad.

"Oh, yes!" said Calvin. "Good ol' Itchy Island. Home to the Nuclear Mosquitoes."

"Now, now," said Dad. "You know, since there are so many warnings, how about we stay until it blows over?"

Mom went pale and fainted.

Calvin stood up on the sofa. "That could take weeks! Months, even."

"All right!" cheered Dad.

"Dad, Summer Vacation ends in three months. I am _not _going to spend it doing something I hate! Summer is supposed to consist of 100 fun. Come on! Give it some time! If it's not better by next week, then we can go camping. Okay?"

Dad sighed. "Well, okay. By next week, we'll go camping."

He went down and picked up his wife. "Whew!" he exclaimed. "She's a big girl!" He carefully dragged her up the stairs.

Calvin turned to Hobbes. "Hobbes, what're we gonna do?" he asked.

Hobbes sighed sadly. "We can say good bye to summer," he replied.

Calvin mulled the thought over. It would be a terrible fate to have to go to a deserted rock in the middle of a lake and having to eat fish for supper. Calvin knew there was only one way to avoid this.

"We have to take matters into our own hands," he declared.

Hobbes could not believe what he had heard. Well, he could, actually. This was Calvin he was talking to."Are you serious, Calvin? Do you know how risky it would be to be outside right now? There is a kidnapper out there. Do you know the consequences of that could be really bad?"

"Yep. Look, Hobbes, it's a really simple choice. We can either go save Susie, Moe and everyone else we love to hate, or we can go to Itchy Island and eat fish for breakfast and spam for lunch. So are ya in?"

Hobbes thought for awhile. Calvin had a point. A really good point.

"Okay, I'm in," he said with a grin on his face.

"Great," said Calvin. "Let's load up on stuff to take with us."

Calvin and Hobbes ran up to his room. They got out the comic books, the cookies, the money to buy sodas and other comic books, the G.R.O.S.S. logbook, some tuna fish (for obvious reasons), peanut butter and bread.

They went outside to the wagon. They put the suitcase in it and got in.

"Are you ready?" asked Calvin.

"Just one question," replied Hobbes. "How do we know where to look first?"

"Easy. Susie was the last to be kidnapped. It obviously happened in the woods. We just have to look around the path we went down yesterday."

"Gotcha," replied Hobbes. "Let's ride!"

Hobbes pushed the wagon toward the woods, then jumped in as the wagon took off down the hill.

Calvin and Hobbes rode through several trees and around steep bends, remembering each path they had taken.

Then, Hobbes spotted something.

"Hey, stop!" he cried. "I see something!"

Calvin rammed the wagon into a tree.

"Well, we've stopped," he said shakily.

Hobbes got out and observed the area he had seen.

Calvin joined him. "What is it?" he asked.

"Tire tracks and footprints!" said Hobbes. "There are signs of struggle, too."

Calvin didn't answer.

Hobbes looked at him. He recognized that look. Something was going on in Calvin's head. He rolled his eyes and decided to go with what was thrown at him.

"I inspected the scene that Tiger Eye had found," Calvin muttered at last. "It seemed that the Derkins Dame was kidnapped in this spot."

Calvin looked down the path. The tire tracks continued down it. Calvin grinned.

"The kidnapper didn't cover his tracks very well, so I figured he'd be an easy one to catch. I led Tiger Eye back to the car. We got in with our pack and set down the road, following the trail."

As Hobbes got into the wagon with Calvin, he knew who he was now. He was Tracer Bullet, Private Eye. Hobbes knew this guy well. Without a word, they shot down the path.

The path later led them to where the stone bridge had once stood. Calvin screeched to a halt. He looked down and saw the river.

Hobbes suddenly remembered the events of the day before.

"Holy cow!" he exclaimed. "That guy in the claw-car! _He _kidnapped Susie. The tracks we found lead to where he fell off the bridge!"

Calvin looked surprised but remained in fantasy mode.

"Tiger Eye had cleverly figured out who the kidnapper was. However, the trail ended out the down bridge, meaning there was only one thing to do. We had to go along the cliff side in the direction of the current to find a lead as to where the hideout was."

Calvin set off down to the right of the cliff following the current.

Hobbes followed with wagon in tow.


	4. Galaxoid and Nebular

**Chapter 4: **_Galaxoid and Nebular_

Eventually, the cliff went downwards until it evened out with the river. Calvin and Hobbes reached it and sat down. Calvin had fazed out of fantasy mode sometime ago. They sat down to have lunch.

"Break out the peanut butter!" Calvin said to Hobbes. "I need something to eat."

"Same here," sighed Hobbes, digging through the suitcase. "Here's the bread." He handed it to Calvin.

Calvin took out a few slices. "I'm beginning to think this could be the start of a whole new life!" he said. "We could join the S.W.A.T. Team if we succeed at this."

"You can have your peanut butter," Hobbes said, handing him the peanut butter. He wasn't really listening to what Calvin had said. "I'm going to have a tuna fish sandwich instead."

Calvin prepared his sandwich. "Do ya think there'll be a reward for this?" he continued. "Maybe we'll get a hundred dollars out of this deal! Maybe even two hundred!"

"Ah, _here's _the tuna!" said Hobbes, pulling one of the cans out. "Here we go!"

"I'll bet Mom and Dad are gonna treat us differently after this, too. They'll probably let us choose dinner for once. Quite frankly, I'd rather not have to eat some living green glop that can get me in trouble."

Hobbes had just finished making his sandwich. "Ah, the perfect sandwich!" he declared. He took a bite out of it.

Calvin finished making his sandwich. "It's gonna be whole lot different when we get home, Hobbes," he declared. "We'd better get this over with to make it come sooner."

Hobbes had just finished his sandwich. "Sorry, did you say something?"

Calvin finished his sandwich. "Never mind. Come on. Let's look around. I'm sure the claw-car managed to get to shore somehow."

Hobbes looked all around, using his super-good sight. Then he spotted something.

"Look over there!" he exclaimed. "There's a tunnel in there. Tire tracks are going inside it."

"Good job, Hobbes," said Calvin. "I'll lead. You take the wagon."

Hobbes was tired of pulling around the wagon, but didn't argue. He took the handle and walked after Calvin.

The cave was dark and spooky. Hobbes, despite being a cat of the wild, was terrified.

Normally, Calvin would've been, too. Somehow though, he wasn't.

That was because instead of an underground tunnel. To him, it was an alien corridor. To him, Hobbes was his trusty sidekick, Spaceman Mort. To him, Calvin was the intrepid space explorer, Spaceman Spiff.

Hobbes noticed the look on his face.

"Here we go again," he thought.

Calvin began to mutter again. "The fearless Spaceman Spiff and his trusty sidekick, Mort, walk down the alien corridor. Spiff notices that there is a light up ahead. It must mean that they are reaching the end of the corridor. Spiff and Mort hurry on ahead."

Calvin and Hobbes hurried on to the end of the tunnel. When their eyes adjusted properly to the sunlight, Calvin continued to mutter.

"Spiff realizes that they are in a part of the planet they have never seen before. Spiff and Mort follow the tracks made by the space-napper's planet car."

Calvin and Hobbes walked at least a mile.

By 2' o clock, they noticed that the tracks were gone. Their faces fell.

Calvin was about to continue muttering when he felt something hit his head, snapping him out of it.

He whirled around and saw Hobbes with the bread.

"Hey, we need that stuff!" he yelled.

Hobbes was extremely angry with Calvin.

"Well, _this_ is just great, Calvin. Just great. Thanks to you, we are now hopelessly lost in an area of the woods we're not familiar with! We could've stayed home for at least a week before the camping trip and have all the fun we wanted. No, you had to make sure your summer vacation was perfect. Well, let me tell you something, buster! Right now, sleeping in a tent on hard rocks and eating dead sea animals and dry spam is starting to sound pretty good right now! You wanna go and get lost in this place? Fine. _I'm _going home!" And he turned to leave.

Calvin ran out in front of him.

"Come on, Hobbes!" cried Calvin. "Don't give up now! We're doing great! We've only been gone for about five hours. If we haven't figured out everything in another five, then it will be okay to give up. Hobbes, we've come too far to give up now! Just think of the fame we'll be getting if we succeed. Also, we're not just doing this for ourselves. We're doing for Susie and Moe and all the other kids. Sure, they're not so great, but do they deserve to miss out on summer vacation because of some wacko? NO, THEY DON'T! No child should have to spending summer vacation in some place we don't know about yet. I feel sorry for those schools that have year round school years, and I wish I could help them, but I can't. This is my way of helping innocent kids get their time off from school to be enjoyable, as all summer vacations should. If you want to go home, fine, but I'm in it for the long run. I'm not giving up until I've rescued those kids!"

Hobbes stared at Calvin, bewildered. He sighed.

"Okay, Calvin. You're right. We'll rescue them."

"Great!" said Calvin happily. "Come on. I'll pull the wagon for a half hour."

"Thanks pal," said Hobbes.

They were about to leave when they heard something from above them. They looked up. They could not believe what they saw! Settling down on the ground was a huge, shiny flying saucer!

"A UFO!" they gasped.

The door on the front opened and an elevator stretched down to them. Two aliens came down. They both had only one eye. Neither of them had arms and they had tentacles for legs. They both had on uniforms. One had a moon and the other had a star. They had pointy hats on that had the symbols on them.

"I'm Galaxoid," said the star one. "This is Nebular.

Calvin wasn't sure of what to say except for, "I'm Calvin. This is Hobbes."

"Um, hi?" said Hobbes.

"Charmed. Take us to the Supreme Earthling Potentate."

Calvin thought for a moment. He really didn't know who that was or if one even existed. Then he had an idea. "Speaking," he said.

Hobbes was alarmed.

"Ah! What luck," exclaimed Galaxoid.

"It was I who chose to the landing site," said Nebular. "Kudos for Navigator Nebular!"

"So, uh, what can we do for you?" asked Calvin.

"We are taking over your world," explained Nebular.

"You are??" asked Calvin. "What for??"

"Earth is prime real estate," replied Galaxoid.

"Location, location, location," added Nebular.

"I guess I'd never given that much thought," said Calvin.

"Charm, atmosphere, quiet galaxy…" said Galaxoid.

"Actually, the atmosphere needs cleaning," said Hobbes.

"A good fixer up," said Nebular.

It was then that Calvin got an idea.

"As Supreme Earthling Potentate, I'm afraid I can't let you just come in and take over the planet."

"You make this difficult," frowned Galaxoid.

"Prepare for war," declared Nebular.

Calvin and Hobbes gulped. "Let's not be hasty!" said Hobbes.

"Yeah, we'll offer you a trade!" Calvin offered.

"What sort of trade?" Galaxoid questioned.

"It's quite simple," said Calvin. "We're off on a mission to find a lost group of earth children who have been kidnapped."

"We're quite sorry to hear that," said Galaxoid.

"Thanks, but listen," said Calvin. "If you can help us get any information on their whereabouts, we shall give you the Earth."

"It's a deal!" said Nebular.

"Come aboard the ship," said Galaxoid. "We can locate anyone on the planet quite easily with a few button pushes and switch flips."

The two aliens climbed aboard. Calvin and Hobbes, pulling the wagon, went up, too. It was very difficult. Have you ever tried to pull a wagon up a flight of stairs? It's quite difficult.

Once inside the UFO, Galaxoid and Nebular started searching through the computer system. Since they didn't have any arms, they used their hats. Calvin and Hobbes waited.

"They have a lot of shiny things in here," whispered Calvin. "I wonder what they all do."

Hobbes knew he had to answer in a way that would not make Calvin push them all at once.

"Um… they probably run the…er…radio?"

Calvin looked disappointed. "I was hoping they'd blow something up."

Galaxoid approached. "We need the name of an earthling from your area."

Calvin and Hobbes really didn't know that many kids. Calvin came up with the first one that really came to mind. "Susie Derkins."

Nebular typed it into the computer. Big red letters came up on the screen.

SUSIE DERKINS LOCATED! FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS AND/OR HOLD ON FOR DEAR LIFE!

That thing wasn't whistling dixie.

The UFO shot into the air and sailed so fast, Calvin and Hobbes had no time to hang on to anything. They flew back into the wall.

No sooner had they crashed that the UFO stopped. Hobbes landed first. Calvin then landed on him.

"Nice landing," muttered Hobbes. "I'm probably paralyzed."

"All except your mouth, obviously," Calvin shot back. "I'm not sorry at all."

The two looked outside when the door opened.

Calvin thought he was in heaven! They were at a swamp!

Hobbes was a little disgusted.

"They're here?" he asked, surprised.

Calvin, Hobbes, Galaxoid and Nebular all walked down.

"We just bought a planet with murky spots?" asked Galaxoid, outraged.

"Why did you not tell us?" demanded Nebular.

"You didn't ask us," Calvin simply said.

"You made us fly out here in exchange!" cried Galaxoid. "We've been greatly overcharged!"

"Yeah, well," said Hobbes, "let the buyer beware."

"We demand that you bring this planet up to code!" exclaimed Galaxoid.

Calvin was confused. "Why don't you take in some of the beauty around here?" he asked. "Lot's of beautiful plants are grown here. Lot's of interesting animals live here. It would be great for science and research."

The two aliens were impressed. "Thank you ever so much!" cried Nebular.

"Oh," added Calvin, "I'd also like you to know that girls ages 5 to 12 make excellent zoo exhibits."

"Thank you!" said Galaxoid. "We most go now. Good luck to you. Hurry, Nebular! At light-speed, we can just make it back in time."

"Our leader will be pleased," said Nebular.

The two aliens scrambled up into the spacecraft.

Calvin and Hobbes waved as they took off and disappeared.

"They were nice," sighed Hobbes.

"Indeed," said Calvin.

He picked up the wagon handle.

"Come on," he said. "Let's figure out how to get into the room where the kids are."

Hobbes yawned. "Can we go to sleep first?" he asked. "It's almost 9!"

Calvin hadn't noticed. How did it get so late all of a sudden? He didn't care. He was beginning to feel sleepy, too.

"Okay. Let's sleep in that tree over there." He pointed to a moss covered tree that had a nest like middle.

Hobbes helped Calvin into the tree's middle. They hung the wagon from a branch. Then Hobbes rested himself on a branch.

Calvin sighed. He looked up at the stars.

"That universe just goes on forever, doesn't it?" he sighed.

"It kinda makes you wonder why man considers himself such a big, freakin' deal, doesn't it?" added Hobbes, nodding off.

Calvin muttered as he fell asleep, "That's why we stay inside with our appliances."


	5. The Imaginator

**Chapter 5: **_The Imaginator_

That morning, Calvin and Hobbes had awaken and taken the wagon out of the tree. They looked all around for some hope of finding a way to the secret lair. However, their hopes were dashed. They had searched the entire swamp.

"It's no good," sighed Calvin. "We've searched every bit of this swamp. There is no way in."

"Maybe the computer wasn't working."

"They are advanced beings! You can't be advanced beings if you can't make your technology flawless!"

"Yeah, well, what do we do now?"

Just then the ground gave way! Calvin, Hobbes and the wagon tumbled down a long tube. They screamed all the way down.

They landed in a room outside the tube. They looked all around. It was dark and gloomy.

"This place reminds me of school," said Calvin.

"This must be the place," said Hobbes.

They parked the wagon in the corner and set off down the hallway.

They peaked around a few corners. There was no one in sight.

They enterened a room with a lot of beeping noises and lights.

"How will we find them?" asked Hobbes.

"I dunno," said Calvin. "We'll have to keep-"

He was cut off by voices.

"Someone's coming!" hissed Hobbes.

Calvin looked all around. He spotted an overhead storage compartment over the door.

"Quick!" he whispered. "Up there!"

Calvin and Hobbes quickly scurried up the ladder and into the compartment.

They carefully peeked down. There was the man from before, as well as three other guys.

"It's him!" hissed Calvin.

"You heard me!" shouted the man. "We need to keep the subjects happy, so go get the milkshake!"

"Why do they need a milkshake?" asked a worker.

"How the hell sould _I_ know?" demanded the man. "Just prepare the liquidated frozen cow juice, then prepare the machine! NOW!"

The men trembled and ran.

The man was noticably angry. "Those bafoons!" he muttered. "If only I'd gotten better subjects. Still, I suppose that the child's imagination is the most creative."

Calvin and Hobbes looked at each other, confused.

"One of these days, I swear I'll blow kids straight off the face of the earth. All they're good for is annoying adults. Well, finally they'll be put to good use. Who'd of thought that simply saying a trip to DisneyLand would convince the kids to stay? They're so stupid!"

Calvin was about to yell in protest, but Hobbes stopped him in time.

"I have rather high hopes for this plan. It sure had better work."

Just then, one of the three men returned. He was carrying a glass with a bendy straw.

"I got the milkshake, boss," he said.

"Good. Take it to the cell."

"Which one wanted it?"

"The one with the hair of his eyes."

Calvin looked at Hobbes.

"That's Moe!" he yelled. He put his hands over his mouth.

"Idiot!" Hobbes groaned.

The two men looked up. They saw a blonde kid with a stuffed tiger looking down.

"That's the punk kid!" cried the boss.

"The one that ruined you atthe bridge in thewoods?" asked the other.

Before his angry boss could reply, Calvin grabbed Hobbes and jumped in the air. His shirt got caught on a pulley. With Hobbes in his arms, Calvin flew away like an airplane.

"Catch us if you can, you sicko!" he yelled.

The bald man's scalp sizzled. "Deliver the milkshake!" he ordered. "_I'll_ take care of the kid." He chased after Calvin.

The pulley rounded a corner. Calvin and Hobbes swung violently.

"That was close!" said Calvin, holding on to Hobbes.

"This'll be closer!" yelled Hobbes. "Look out!"

Calvin looked ahead. The pulley was about to end at a pile of crates. Calvin couldn't get off. He and Hobbes flew straight into the pile of crates.

Hobbes slowly rose up. He opened a crate and Calvin popped out.

"_I_ wouldn't have called him a sicko," said Hobbes.

"Never mind that," said Calvin. "Let's find the kids and get out of here."

"But we don't know where they are!"

Just then the milkshake guy walked past. He entered the room next to them.

Then they heard a voice. Moe's voice!

"Finally!"

The guy walked out, rolling his eyes.

Calvin and Hobbes ran to the door. Calvin jiggled the handle. He pulled with all his might.

"Let a professional try this," said Hobbes, pushing Calvin aside.

"Oh, yeah?" questioned Calvin. "How?"

Hobbes presented a single claw. He put it into the keyhole. He moved his finger around until they heard a click. He pulled his claw out and retracted it. He grinned.

"How did you do that?" asked Calvin.

"Sorry," said Hobbes. Privileged information."

Calvin rolled his eyes and opened the door a crack. He peaked inside and saw no one but a cage full of the neighborhood kids. Calvin couldn't believe it. They'd made it!

"Hobbes!" he said. "We've done it. We found them!"

The two of them did a little, stupid-looking dance and then they entered.

Calvin jumped in with his stuffed tiger and yelled, "Hey, everybody!"

He expected everyone to answer in some way, but they simply stared at him, dumb-founded.

Calvin rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't you know a hero when you see one, huh?"

Still no answer. "I get it!" said Calvin. "You just can't believe that we're you're rescuers, right?"

Susie went to the front of the crowd. "No offense, Calvin, but, you're just not the type we'd expect to rescue us."

"Or want to rescue us," said another kid.

Calvin could not believe this! "So, you'd rather rot in a cage rather than be free for your whole summer?"

"Well," said Susie, "we're gonna go to DisneyLand in a week."

"Oh, really?" asked Calvin. "Jeez, Susie. I always thought you smart! No wonder all the answers you gave me during a test were wrong!"

"No, Calvin, the answers were wrong on purpose."

Calvin groaned.

"Guys, why do you think some guy would just grab you off the street in some car with a claw on it and say,'I'm offering a free trip to DisneyLand. All you have to do is come down to my evil lair!' You idiots."

He hopped into the chair at the desk.

"So, what're you doing here, being kidnapped and all?" he asked.

"Some nut's going to put a machine on our heads," said Moe.

Calvin was impressed. "So he's gonna drain your brains?"

"Actually," said a voice, "I'm going to use what's in their brains."

Calvin whirled around to the hallway connected to the room. He gulped.

The man growled at him. "I'm Dr. Retro," he said. "You, my child, have fallen right into my plan!"

Calvin gulped. "What plan?"

"Why my plan to RULE THE WORLD!!" Retro then began to laugh manically.

Calvin rolled his eyes. "That's such a non-original goal for you super villains these days, isn't it?"

"Well, it beats the alternative," Retro replied. "Anywho, I present you with the Imaginator!" He pulled out a machine. It was square shaped with a timer and a helmet attached to it. "It can take anything you can think of! And guess what! Since you're the only kid outside of the cage, you are the first to try it!"

Calvin knew the consequences that could come from this would not be good.

"Listen, Doc, what goes through my head is very deadly. Trust me, you don't wanna go through cleaning up after what I can think up. There are Wormwood monsters and saber-toothed tigers and dinosaurs and aliens that have pink spots on them and twenty rows of teeth. The worst one yet is a toothbrush and toothpaste put together."

"That's perfect!" cried Retro.

"I'm glad we understa-what?"

"Those types of things would help me to take over the world. I would train them to obey me and me alone. I'd be all powerful!"

Calvin grabbed Hobbes and ran for the door. Retro caught him, however and placed the helmet on Calvin's head. Hobbes fell to the floor.

"Hobbes, do something!" he cried.

Just then the machine was turned on.

"You stupid tiger, get up!"

He thought of Hobbes. Suddenly, in front of everyone, Hobbes morphed from a stuffed toy into an actual tiger. Of course, to Calvin, he looked exactly the same.

Retro smiled and turned off the machine.

"Ah-ha! It worked. I have a deadly beast right in front of me."

He took out his tranquilizer gun.

Calvin knew what it was right away! "Hobbes! Watch out!"

"Huh?" asked Hobbes, getting out of his stupor.

He then noticed the gun. He yelped and moved out of the way just in time. The dart struck the floor. Hobbes stood up. "Well, that floor is going to be pretty tired."

Then Calvin had an idea. He turned on the machine again.

"Calvin!" screamed Susie. "What the heck are you doing??"

"Trust me, Susie!" he yelled. "I know three guys in my brain that can never be turned evil!" He thought as hard as he could.

Suddenly, before him, in a cloud of smoke, stood Tracer Bullet, Spaceman Spiff and Stupendous Man!

Retro turned off the machine. Calvin yanked off the helmet. He stepped in front of the three Calvins.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my three alter-egos: Spaceman Spiff the space explorer, Tracer Bullet the detective, and Stupendous Man the super-power guy!"

Suddenly, Tracer shot forward and pointed a finger at Retro. "I've got a few questions for you, buddy!" he yelled. "Where were you the night of August 23? What do you know about the Klopman Diamond? Where did you hide the gloves? When was the war of 1812? Who put the 'bomp' in the 'bomp sha bomp'? How did you dispose of the body? And, most importantly, IS PROFESIONAL WRESTLING FIXED??"

Calvin and Spiff grabbed him and pulled him away.

"Easy, Tracer!" said Spiff. "Don't go ruining your new found life just yet."

Hobbes and Stupendous Man were at work trying to open the cage that held the kids.

Retro chuckled. "Ha! That cage is indestructible and can only be opened from a button on the control panel."

"What control panel?" asked Hobbes.

"_This _one," Retro replied, hitting a button.

The left wall suddenly opened to reveal a wall covered in buttons. The four Calvins and Hobbes groaned.

Retro spoke into the Walkie-Talkie. "Security?"

The door burst open and in came the security system. There were four of them.

Calvin had an idea. He whispered to the three other Calvins. "The four of us can serve as a distraction." He turned to Hobbes. "You try and find the right button."

"Got it," whispered Hobbes.

The gang split up.

Hobbes ran for the wall. A guard ran after him, but Spiff blocked and aimed his Death-ray straight at him.

The guard, unaware of the events that had happened before, thought it was a kid in a costume. "Aww, how cute," he teased.

Spiff fired. The guard got out of the way just in time. A huge, smoking hole was put in the wall. The guard stared at Spiff.

"Still think its cute?"

Stupendous Man used his mighty strength to take out the next guy. He picked up a desk and lunged it at him. The guard was on the floor in a few short seconds, the desk on top of him.

"Thank you, Stupendousness," he declared.

Tracer pulled out what looked like a gun. The guard after him took a step back.

"Easy, junior. That thing could be loaded. We all know that it's dangerous to play with guns!"

"Right," said Tracer. "It is dangerous to _play _with them. However, I never play with them. I _use_ them."

He was about to pull the trigger when the guard panicked and ran out of the room.

"Is that thing really loaded?" asked Spiff.

"Nah," replied Tracer. "The dumb ones always panic."

Hobbes, meanwhile, was having no luck at all. He was pressing several buttons, and not one of them worked.

Calvin was attempting to grab his guard's nightstick, as it was being swung at him. He managed to grab it right when it went for his feet.

"Ha!" laughed Calvin. "It would appear that…" Calvin gulped as the guard pulled out his gun. Calvin then noticed he position. "…I've painted myself into a corner," he finished. Calvin thought for a moment.

"Well, then, prepare to feel the wrath of my nightsti…whoops!" Calvin swung the nightstick straight so hard that it flew out of his hands and into the cage. It landed on Moe's head, knocking him out cold. He spilled his milkshake.

"It would appear that my aim is a little off," chuckled Calvin nervously. He looked all around him. He pulled out the only thing he could find: a pencil. "I'm gonna, uh, erase you out of existence!" he said.

The guard chuckled. "It's not even sharpened."

Calvin thought hard. The guard was slowly approaching him. He then spotted a bag of marbles. He grabbed them.

"I don't know what these are doing here," he said, "but here goes nothing."

He opened the bag and marbles went all over the place. The guard slipped and fell. Calvin jumped on top of him and tap danced on his stomach.

Hobbes had hit almost every button he could find. He was running low on them. Suddenly, a guard grabbed him.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Put me down, ya big galoot!"

The guard held a gun to Hobbes' head.

Hobbes chuckled nervously. "Of course, when I say 'big galoot', it means that you're handsome, intelligent, and, uh, both of your legs are the same length."

This wasn't working. Hobbes looked over at the control panel again. He spotted a button labeled "open cage button".

Hobbes groaned. "Why didn't I see that before?"

His feet and arms were both constrained, so he used the one part that wasn't: his tail. He aimed precisely at the button and pushed it. The cage dropped into the floor.

"You did it, Hobbes!" cried Calvin.

"Well, of course I did," replied Hobbes proudly.

Spiff then had an idea to save Hobbes. He turned to the group of kids and yelled, "EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

The kids didn't need telling twice. They all stampeded out of the cage area, shoving Hobbes' capturer down. Calvin and Hobbes led the way, with Stupendous, Tracer and Spiff following.

On the way, they ran past Retro. Retro saw Calvin up ahead going, "Nyah, nyah!" It made Retro's blood boil.

He ran into a closet and hit the intercom button. "The kids have escaped!" he yelled. "Get 'em."

As everyone was running, Stupendous Man looked back and saw guards chasing them.

"Run!" he yelled. "I'll take care of 'em."

He flew back to the guards and started kicking their butts.

At last Calvin, Hobbes, Tracer and Spiff had reached the tube. Hobbes started to pull on it, but it was stuck.

"I can't move it and Stupendous Man is still kickin' bad guy buttocks."

Calvin tried to help him. Spiff and Tracer tried to help, too, but it was no good.

"Wait a minute!" said Calvin. "I've got an idea! Get clear."

Hobbes, Spiff and Tracer backed from the platform as Calvin turned to the crowd. Calvin scanned the kids until he spotted someone.

"Hey, Moe!" he called.

"Huh?" asked Moe.

"Is that your head, or a hotel for lice?"

Hobbes gasped. "CALVIN!"

Moe growled.

Calvin wasn't done yet.

"Heard you had your head examined, but they couldn't find anything!"

Moe growled and gritted his teeth.

Calvin knew one more would do it.

"Is that your head, or is there a fungus growing on your neck?"

Moe growled, gritted his teeth and charged. Everyone closed their eyes as he charged straight from Calvin.

Calvin didn't seem too worried. At the last second, he jumped out of the way. Moe crashed straight through the door to the tube and was sucked up it.

"Good job, Moe!" called Calvin. "You used that head thing for once!"

"Better not push it," warned Hobbes.

"Okay, everyone in," said Calvin.

"Better hurry," warned Tracer. "I can see Stupendous Man and the guards getting closer."

It took a while, but at last Hobbes and the four Calvins were the only ones left.

Calvin took the wagon and shoved it up the tube. Spiff went up next. Then Tracer. Then Stupendous Man, who flew up. Calvin went up next. Hobbes followed, shutting the door again as he went. He was just in time. The guards smashed into the door.

Hobbes popped into the air in the swamp. Everyone watched him fly up in the air. The ground didn't close, and Hobbes fell back into the tube. The air going up shot him up again, but he fell back in. This went on for a minute until Calvin got tired of it and grabbed him before he went down again.

"Enough all ready!"

"How do we get home now?" asked Susie.

Just then, a flying saucer flew into view.

Spiff panicked. "It's the Zogwargs!" he cried. "Don't worry!" He jumped in front of everyone. "Get behind me! I'll set my Death-Ray blaster to 'Deep Fry'!"

He was about to fire when Calvin stood in front of him. "It's not Zogwargs," he said. "It's our old pals, Galaxoid and Nebular! They helped us get here!"

"Aliens helped you get here?" asked Susie.

"Yup," said Calvin. "They wanted to buy Earth. We wanted to find you guys. We made a fair trade."

The saucer landed in front of the kids. The escalator extended out. Galaxoid and Nebular came down.

"Ah," said Galaxoid. "Seems we were both lucky, Supreme Earthling Potentate. You found the earth children and we found you."

Susie was surprised. "_He's _not Supreme…" She was cut off as Hobbes put a hand over her mouth.

"Calvin's right," he whispered. "You _do _rat on him too much."

Calvin ignored them. "What brings you back here so soon?" he asked.

"We require knowledge of your food places," said Nebular.

"Most popular one is McDonalds," said Hobbes.

"Where might we find one of these restraunts?" asked Galaxoid.

"All over the place. Try looking in the phone book."

"Thank you, O-Wise Tiger," said Galaxoid.

Hobbes was about to say something snooty, but Calvin stopped him.

"I don't suppose you could give us a lift home?" he asked.

"But of course," said Nebular. "It's the least we could do for selling us the Earth.

Calvin, Hobbes and the kids climbed aboard the ship.

Susie could have sworn she saw Nebular giving her googly eyes.


	6. The Chase

**Chapter 6: **_The Chase_

The neighborhood was extremely upset. All the kids had disappeared.

Calvin's parents were in their house. You could never tell if they were happy or sad. It was hard to tell when your kid was Calvin.

Suddenly, they heard a humming noise from the sky. Then they heard someone say, "IT'S A UFO!!"

They rushed outside to see what had happened. They couldn't believe it. A flying saucer was flying above the neighborhood. It then dropped down on the road.

A crowd had surrounded the saucer. No one knew how to react to aliens. They all had brooms and bowling balls and bricks and anything that was within reach.

Suddenly, they all heard a noise.

"The aliens are coming out!" someone yelled.

They then noticed that there was no door.

"I think we're on the wrong side!" yelled Calvin's dad.

They all ran around to the front of the ship. The escalator came out of the already open door. All was quiet.

Suddenly, an all too familiar wagon came rolling down. In it were Calvin and Hobbes.

"Hey, everybody!" yelled Calvin, grinning. Hobbes was grinning, too.

Calvin's parents gasped. They grabbed Calvin away from Hobbes.

"Calvin," said his dad. "What the heck are you doing with a wild animal in a space ship??"

Calvin was confused. "Mom, Dad, how long were we gone? Don't ya remember Hobbes?"

His parents were so shocked and amazed that they accidentally dropped Calvin.

Hobbes smiled nervously. "Uh, remember me?" he asked.

Calvin's mom fainted again.

Just then, Susie came down, followed by Moe.

"Oh, Susie!" cried her mom.

"Mom!" cried Susie. She hugged her mom's legs. "Calvin and Hobbes saved us!"

Everyone stared at Calvin, who was still on the ground after being dropped by his own parents.

"What are you looking at?" asked Calvin.

All the kids ran out to their parents. There was a hug-fest for a few minutes.

Calvin and Hobbes led Spiff, Stupendous and Tracer to Calvin's parents.

"Mom? Dad? I'd like you to meet my three pals."

His parents turned around. They nearly screamed. They saw _four _Calvins.

"This is Stupendous Man."

"Charmed," said Stupendous.

"This is Tracer Bullet."

"Yo," said Tracer.

"And this is Spaceman Spiff."

"Hiya," said Spiff.

Calvin's Mom fainted once more.

"I guess she wasn't ready to know she'd suddenly had quadruplets," said Hobbes.

Just then, someone shouted, "It's the aliens!"

Galaxoid and Nebular had stepped down to see how things were going. They panicked when the crowd of parents started to charge at them.

"They stole our kids!" shouted Calvin's dad.

"WAIT!" cried Calvin.

He, Hobbes, Spiff, Stupendous and Tracer formed a ring around the two aliens.

"They didn't kidnap anyone!" said Hobbes. "Why, if it weren't for these armless little guys, we'd have never found the kids."

"Yeah!" said Calvin. "These guys simply wanted to buy Earth. It _is _prime real estate, you know. So, as Supreme Earthling Potentate, I let 'em have it in exchange for the location of these guys."

No one knew how to respond.

Calvin's dad spoke up. "So if they didn't kidnap all of you, then who did?"

Suddenly, in a flash of light, Spiff, Stupendous and Tracer disappeared.

"That would be me," came an all too familiar voice.

Calvin and Hobbes gasped. They whirled around to see Retro in the claw-car and the Imaginator.

"This thing can get rid of things just as well with or without the helmet," he grinned.

"What are _you_ doing here?" yelled Calvin.

"Well, you see, Calvin," said Retro, "I'd originally kidnapped all the kids to put bring their imaginations together and rule the world, but after that speech of yours about what goes on in your head, I've realized that I could've just saved a lot of trouble by simply taking you! With your imagination, I can easily dominate the world!"

"Oh, yeah?" yelled Calvin, getting in the wagon. "You'll have to catch me first. Come on, Hobbes. Push!"

Hobbes pushed the wagon as fast as he could. They rolled into the woods.

"You won't get away _that _easily!" called Retro. He turned the ignition, and the car drove off after them.

The crowd watched them disappear.

Galaxoid and Nebular had taken advantage of the distraction to get away.

"Boy, that's a neat car!" said Calvin's dad.

Calvin's mom fainted again.

Calvin and Hobbes raced down the path.

Retro honked the horn. "_Now _I'll get you, shorty!" he called.

Calvin was mad. "No one call me 'Shorty'!" he yelled.

He steered under a fallen tree that had settled onto a hill. Retro's claw chomped straight through it.

"You can run, but ya can't hide!" he called. "Ya better look out!"

"Can't we this old wagon go any faster?" asked Hobbes, looking back. "He's gaining."

"I'm trying!" Calvin replied.

He steered the wagon into a log tunnel. They heard a sudden crash from behind them.

"What was that??" asked Calvin. Once they'd reach the other side of the tunnel, he looked up behind them and checked.

"Next time, lower the claw _before_ entering the tunnel, you imbecile!"Calvin shouted.

Retro grumbled to himself as he lowered the claw arm. Then he went through it.

Calvin and Hobbes rolled down a steep hill. Retro was right behind them.

"I'll give you $20 if you'll help me!" he called.

Calvin thought for a minute. "Well, since you put it _that_ way…"

"Calvin, we're talking the end of humanity as we know it!" said Hobbes.

"Okay, okay, fine!" said Calvin. "Still, it's not like humanity has done such a bang up jog here in the first place!"

Calvin steered them towards another hill.

Hobbes looked up and saw the claw was right over his head, threatening to rip it off.

"Ooh, get back you!" screamed Hobbes.

He spotted a rock ahead. He reached out and grabbed it. He then threw it at Retro. It bopped him on his bald head. It slowed him down enough for Calvin and Hobbes to draw ahead.

"Coming, Furball!" yelled Retro, rubbing his head.

Hobbes turned and growled and lashed at him.

"Easy, Hobbes," warned Calvin. "You don't wanna pull something."

"Hey, nobody calls _me _Furball!" yelled Hobbes.

"I call you Furball whenever we fight."

"Right. That's when it is fair and we're already calling each other names."

Calvin rolled his eyes.

Ahead was the steep hill from before.

"Hold on, Hobbes!" called Calvin. "We're going for the big one!"

"I'm holding!" Hobbes called back.

They shot down so fast that they were almost a blur!

"HOW'RE YA DOIN', HOBBES??" called Calvin.

"BETTER THAN BEFORE!" Hobbes replied. "I THINK MY STOMACH'S STILL ON THE INSIDE!" Hobbes looked back. He could see Retro coming on fast. "HURRY! HE'S GAINING!!"

"I CAN'T GO ANY FASTER THAN THIS!"

"SURE YOU CAN!"

"LET ME REPHRASE THAT: I DON'T _WANT _TO GO ANY FASTER THAN THIS!"

They saw the spot where the bridge had once been.

"HANG ON!" yelled Calvin.

They hit the edge. They flew into the air.

However, this time, there was a difference.

Before, either end of the bridge had been there, meaning there was more room for speed.

This time, there wasn't enough. They almost made it, but they didn't.

The wagon handle got caught on a branch sticking out of the ground. Hobbes managed to hold onto the backend of the wagon. Calvin grabbed onto his tail.

"Man, you're heavy!" called Hobbes.

"Shut up!" Calvin shot back. "Our lives are at stake!"

Just then, they saw Retro screech to a halt at the cliff's edge.

"Ha!" he laughed. "Seems I've won _this_ round, Calvin!" he called.

He sent the claw down at them, grabbing them and the wagon. Then he closed the claw so that they couldn't get out.

"We shall now be returning to the hideout," said Retro, turning the claw-car in the direction of the underground tunnel.


	7. The Grand Finale!

**Chapter 7: **_The Grand Finale_

Calvin and Hobbes sat down in the claw. They were miserable.

"Well," said Hobbes, trying to look on the bright side, "at least we've saved the kids."

"Yeah," said Calvin, "and now they're going to get killed along with the rest of the world thanks to my imagination."

"Well, excuse me, but we could at least let the last bit of happiness we have left be happy, right?"

"Nice try, Hobbes, but I'll never be happy knowing that the world will be ruled by some nut because of me and my head. Why can't I just be normal?"

"Normal?" asked Hobbes. "You wanna be normal?? Good heavens, man, what is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Calvin, if it wasn't for your 'weirdness', we would never have had all the adventures we've had. If you weren't weird, you'd have never of thought to build a Transmogrifier/ duplicator/ time machine. You'd have never thought to make a snowman come to life, only for it to become a Deranged, Mutant, Killer Monster Snow Goon. If it wasn't for you, G.R.O.S.S. wouldn't exist. Stupendous Man, Spaceman Spiff and Tracer Bullet wouldn't exist at all if it weren't for you. Calvin, your weirdness has made many lives to become more interesting. If there's one thing I can count on to get me out of boredom, it's to drag me on some sort of adventure that I'll hate at first but love later on."

Calvin was taken aback. He'd never thought of that.

"You're right, Hobbes!"

"As usual."

"We've gotta do something. My imagination got us into this mess, and my imagination can get us out of it."

Calvin peered out of the hole in the claw. He saw a tree branch approaching. At the right moment, he grabbed it and brought it into the claw. Then he stuck it through the teeth and got hold of the helmet on the Imaginator. He managed to pull it through the teeth. He put the helmet on his head.

"Okay, Hobbes, you hit the button."

He handed Hobbes the stick.

"Roger will do."

"How about you do it for Roger."

Hobbes stuck the stick through the teeth and managed to reach the button.

"Here goes."

Calvin thought and thought.

Suddenly, in a beam of light, Spiff, Stupendous Man and Tracer returned!

"What'd we miss?" asked Spiff.

"The chase scene," replied Hobbes.

"Darn it!" moaned Tracer. "That's always the best part of an adventure!"

"Uh, hello?" said Calvin. "How's about we try getting out of this claw."

"Agreed," sniffed Hobbes. "It's beginning to smell in here."

"Plus, it's too crowded," added Stupendous. "I'll use my stupendous strength to get us out."

He was about to go for the teeth, but Calvin stopped him.

"We can't go without a plan!"

"Why not?" asked Stupendous.

"It's not heroic-like!" said Calvin. "I think _you_ would know that!"

"Hey, it's _your_ fault. _You _created me."

"Boys, please!" interrupted Hobbes. "Tracer, you're the brilliant thinker. Any ideas?"

"I'm at a blank," sighed Tracer.

"Wait a minute," said Calvin. "I've got an idea."

Everyone leaned in close and listened.

"First, we have to wait for it to get darker…"

Retro was humming a happy tune to himself. "I'm going to rule the world!" he sang. "I'll show them all! I'm not nuts! They all think so, but I am not!"

He rolled into the dark tunnel. He continued to sing.

Inside the claw, Calvin was counting down. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1! NOW!"

Retro was taken by surprise. The claw was opened up. Calvin, Hobbes, Spiff and Tracer jumped out of it. Stupendous pulled the wagon out before jumping out, too.

"YOU SKANKS!" yelled Retro.

"Do it now!" yelled Hobbes.

There was a click. Then suddenly, Retro saw the silhouettes of the group in the wagon with the Imaginator heading towards the entrance.

"GET BACK HERE WITH THAT!" he yelled, turning the car around. He raced after with them to the outside.

Retro was catching up easily with what he thought was the Calvins and Hobbes.

"Ha!" he yelled triumphantly. "I can finally use you to… huh?"

He had sent the claw down to scoop them up. It wasn't working. The claw went right through them!

"What the…"

"Sorry," said Calvin. "But we holograms only last for a minute and a half."

Suddenly, they all disappeared.

Retro growled. "Darn that kid!"

Stupendous Man had flown them to the top of the hill.

They all sat in the wagon, waiting.

"He should be here in five… four… three…" Calvin started.

"YOU!!"

They all looked down to see Retro in the claw-car.

"Wow," said Hobbes. "Two seconds early. Not bad."

"What about us?" asked Calvin.

"You have tormented me since Day 1!"

"Well, technically, _you_ started it," said Calvin.

"Yeah," added Hobbes. "You should have known better than to become a complete idiot bent on using a machine to make imaginary friends real to become ruler of the world in the first place!"

"That sentence could use some shortening," said Spiff.

"Oh, well, then how about 'You should never have been an idiot to begin with'?"

"Ahh, its close," said Calvin, "but could stand improvement."

"This from a kid who got a 'D' in Grammar," shot Hobbes.

"Oh, well, excuse me!" Calvin shot back.

"Enough!" yelled Retro. "The thing is that I will be the winner here. I _will _rule the world._ I_ have the advantage. _I _have the cool car!"

"He's got a point," whispered Tracer.

"Now then, on to business," said Retro.

Retro charged at them, the claw snapping.

Calvin turned around in the wagon.

"HOLD ON EVERYONE!" he yelled. "WE'RE GOIN' FOR A RIDE!"

The wagon rolled down the hill.

"Faster! Faster!" yelled Stupendous Man.

Spiff looked back. "He's coming on fast!"

"Are you sure this'll work, Calvin?" asked Hobbes.

"It sure had better," said Calvin. "It took me at least five minutes to think up."

Up ahead was the log that had been jammed between the two cliffs.

The wagon approached it with Retro right behind it with his jagged claw snapping.

"Okay, Blondie!" he called. "This is it!"

Suddenly, instead of going the log, Calvin steered off the cliff.

Retro was surprised.

He lost his train of thought and careened off of the cliff, too.

He quickly snapped out of it and sent the claw up onto the log. He dangled in the air.

"Well, this is just perfect," he groaned. "I've lost my subject."

He looked down. Then he did a double-take. He couldn't believe it.

The wagon, with Calvin, Hobbes, Spiff, Tracer and the Imaginator on board, was flying into the air. Stupendous Man was lifting it into the air.

Stupendous Man lifted the wagon so that Calvin was level with Retro.

"Never underestimate the power of Stupendous Man," Calvin grinned.

Retro growled at him. "Why, you little…" he began.

Spiff pulled out his Death-Ray blaster.

"…kid," he finished nervously. He put shielded himself with his arms.

Instead of shooting Retro, Spiff fired at the connector that kept the claw arm on the car. It loosened the bolt.

"Ha!" yelled Retro. "You missed!

"Actually, Mr. Retro," said Spiff. "I just hit the bull's eye."

"That's _Dr._ Retro, kid."

"I'm not a kid!" Spiff said defensively. "I just happen to have his good looks."

"Oh, puh-leeze," groaned Hobbes.

Retro looked at the bolt connecting the car to the claw. It suddenly dissolved. He then looked at Hobbes and the four Calvins. He gulped, did a little wave and covered his eyes.

While the claw still clutched to the log, the car, with Retro in it, suddenly fell with it. He screamed all the way down. Instead of a river, he fell in a gorge with sharp rocks.

Everyone in the wagon cheered.

"We did it, Hobbes!" cried Calvin.

_Don't worry, folks. It ain't over yet!_


	8. So Long! & Epilogue

**Chapter 8: **_So Long_

It took some time, but Calvin and Hobbes were soon back in their own back yard with Spiff, Tracer and Stupendous Man.

"Well," said Calvin. "You three were pretty good today."

"Aw, shucks," said Tracer. "It was nothing."

"Yeah," said Spiff. "We were just happy to help out."

"And to come out," added Stupendous.

"You wanna stay a little longer?" asked Hobbes. "Calvin's mom may get tired of cooking for seven people, but you're welcome to."

"Naw," said Spiff. "We've decided that the real world is too scary."

"Yeah," agreed Stupendous. "No offence. You guys are great."

"It's just that," finished Tracer, "we feel better on the adventures that _you_ put us on."

Calvin grinned. "You guys are heroes," he said. "You're saying that you get afraid?"

"Well," said Spiff. "Everyone has their own fears. We've just decided that the real world is one of ours."

"Don't worry," smiled Calvin. "Let's just prepare the Imaginator."

Calvin put the helmet on his head. Hobbes was about to press the "reverse" button when Spiff stopped him.

"Hold on!" he said. He handed Calvin his Destructo-Ray. "You'd better destroy that thing when we're back just in case you-know-who comes back."

Calvin couldn't believe it. "You're giving me a weapon??"

Spiff winked at Hobbes. "Yep."

Calvin prepared himself. "Hobbes, the button, please."

"Okay," said Hobbes. "Only because you asked nicely."

Hobbes pressed the reverse button.

Stupendous Man and Tracer Bullet waved and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Remember," said Spiff. "No more Wormwood monsters."

"You'll be getting a different one come September," Calvin replied.

Spiff smiled and disappeared in the light.

From inside the house, Calvin's parents were watching. After Spiff was gone, they saw Hobbes morph from a real tiger to a toy tiger. For the last time, Calvin's mom fainted. His dad fainted with her.

Calvin removed the helmet and looked at Hobbes.

"Well, pal," he said. "That was quite the adventure."

Neither of them knew that a scratched up Retro was approaching them. He was in a mobile bush.

"I'll say," said Hobbes. "I always wondered what those three looked like."

Retro moved closer.

"Say," Hobbes continued. "Why weren't Tiger Lad, Spaceman Mort and Tiger Eye there?"

Retro moved even closer.

"Sorry," said Calvin. "I'd introduce you, but I've gotta destroy this thing."

Calvin took out the Destructo-Ray. He aimed and pulled the trigger. The Imaginator blew into smithereens.

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" screamed Retro.

There was an awkward silence. Retro realized he had given himself away. Calvin looked at Hobbes. Then he looked back at Retro.

"I don't think Earth really needs a nut like you," he concluded. "You're way too far ahead of your time."

Just then, a rather familiar flying saucer landed in the backyard.

"Oh!" said Calvin. "Look who's back."

The door opened and the escalator came out.

The escalator knocked Retro on his head, knocking him out.

Galaxoid and Nebular came down.

"Is it safe?" asked Galaxoid.

"Yeah," said Hobbes. "It's safe."

"I think you guys shouldn't come here anymore," said Calvin. "People will go crazy."

"True," said Nebular. "We shall be leaving. We just wanted to say thank you and good bye."

"No problem," said Hobbes.

Then Calvin had an idea.

"I don't suppose you two could take this here scientist with you?"

"A scientist??" asked Galaxoid. "Of course!"

A robotic arm came down and picked up Retro, taking him, still unconscious, aboard the ship.

"Thanks, guys," said Calvin. "You've both been a great help."

"No problem," said Galaxoid. "Good luck here on Earth, kid."

"Don't worry," said Calvin. "I've survived six years. I can probably make it a few more."

"Good bye!" chimed the aliens, and they went back up into the ship.

"Good bye!" called Calvin and Hobbes.

The ship hummed for a few moments, and then it disappeared into the sky. Calvin and Hobbes stood there, watching it leave.

"Well, ol' buddy," said Calvin. "There's a lesson in this adventure somewhere."

"And that is?" asked Hobbes.

"Guys like Retro are bad news."

"How is that applicable elsewhere in life?"

"It isn't. That's what I like about it."

"Well, what do we do now?"

"Come on," said Calvin, pointing to the tree house. "Let's have a G.R.O.S.S. meeting. We have to catch up."

"Right."

Calvin and Hobbes scrambled up the rope ladder. They put on their paper hats and got started.

"This meeting of the secret girl-loathing club of the Get Rid of Slimy girlS club will now come to order, Dictator-For-Life Calvin residing."

"Here, here!" said Hobbes.

"Today's meeting is commemorate our two brave soldiers, Dictator-For-Life Calvin and President and First-Tiger Hobbes, for saving the world from complete and utter destruction. It was a tough mission, but they've won the hugest battle in G.R.O.S.S. history. I say that what they have proven themselves loyal members. I say that they've earned multiple awards: Bottle Caps of Valor, Rubbers Balls of Cunning, Erasers of Courage and Buttons of Good Will."

"Here, here!" cheered Hobbes. "Now then, I would like to make a note."

"The chair recognizes First Tiger Hobbes."

"Let us not forget those we lost in this battle: Spaceman Spiff, Tracer Bullet, Stupendous Man, Galaxoid and Nebular. Without them, the mission would have failed."

"Yay verely," agreed Calvin. "Let us remember them with pride. We were privileged to know them. Meeting adjourned."

Calvin and Hobbes removed their hats.

"So," said Hobbes. "What do we do now?"

"I say we get ready for the best summer of our lives!"

"How do we do that?"

Calvin climbed down the rope ladder. "Well, for one thing, we could go for a ride in the woods."

Hobbes climbed down after him. "How about no. I've had enough rides in that old thing for a few days."

"Okay, then how about we go watch TV?"

"Now _there's_ something I wanna do!"

"Great! I'll break out the cereal and the tuna, and then we can discuss how we're gonna attack Susie with a water balloon after the cartoons are over."

"Sounds like a plan!" said Hobbes. "Then we can search for dinosaur bones in the backyard!"

"Yeah! Then we can play a rousing game of Calvinball!"

"Then we can find a poisonous snake and scare ourselves silly!"

"Yeah!"

The two friends smiled and went inside.

"It's going to be a great summer, Hobbes ol' buddy," smiled Calvin. "Let's make it last!"

And the two friends sat back and relaxed as they got their summer vacation started.

_**Epilogue**_

Everything basically returned to normal afterwards.

Calvin's parents never really believed that everything that had happened had happened. They'd both fainted and woke up thinking it was a dream. The entire neighborhood seemed as though it was all a dream.

Calvin never really liked this. He's still wondering how it happened.

In truth, Hobbes had gone back to Retro's secret lair and had set a Forget-O-Ray for everyone except Calvin and himself so that he'd have the entertainment of watching Calvin fail at trying to get the press to report the story. That and he just wanted things to be the way they were before. He figures that Calvin will get over it in a week, and then they'll _really _have a great summer. They still talk about it every now and then, but Hobbes is just glad it's over.

Calvin is no longer looking forward to 2nd Grade, so he's basically back to normal. After hearing several horror stories about homework assignments from various websites, he's wishing he was still a 1st Grader.

Still, summer has been good for them so far. They put the wagon away so for a month, having gotten their butts sore from riding in it for a few days straight. They've played several games of Calvinball and had several victories during G.R.O.S.S. They managed to knock Susie three feet from where she was hit last week.

You're probably wondering about Retro returning. In truth, it's not likely. Now that he's gone with Galaxoid and Nebular, they've probably already done some damage to him.

Calvin and Hobbes have neither seen nor heard from those two aliens ever since they took Retro away. It's probably for the best. They've figured that Earth probably wasn't prime real estate after all and probably sent in for a refund. That'd be pretty hard to do, don't ya think?

Calvin and Hobbes have decided that they'll hold off on the adventures for a while. They haven't pulled out the cardboard box for ages, and, most likely, it's gonna stay like that. They've limited their adventures to what they were before, but who knows? Maybe one day they'll venture out of the neighborhood once more and go to the rescue again. Maybe they'll be heroes and stay heroes.

And maybe, just maybe, not everyone thinks Calvin's tale of saving the kids was fake. There may be some people out there who will bring them in for help. Maybe…

_But I mustn't tell you anymore, or Ishould spoil the next story…_


	9. Bonus Chapter!

**Voice Actors:**

**_Pamela Segal…_ **Calvin/Spaceman Spiff

**_Ryan Stiles…_** Hobbes

**_Daveigh Chase…_ **Susie

**_Elizabeth Daily…_ **Moe

**_Megan Cavanaugh…_ **Mom/ Mrs. Derkins

**_Kurtwood Smith…_ **Dad/Retro

**_Lauren Tom…_ **Candace

**_Colin Mochrie…_** Galaxoid/News Man

**_Tom Kenny…_ **Nebular

**_Bill Murray…_ **Stupendous Man/Tracer Bullet

**_Dee Bradley Baker…_ **Various Voices

**Soundtrack:**

**Steppenwolf: _Born to be Wild: _**Opening Theme

**Jennifer Saunders: _Holdin' Out For a Hero:_** Getting on the Case

**Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen: _Mission Impossible Theme: _**Entering the Lab and Exploring It

**Pete Yorn: _Ever Fallen in Love: _**Chase Scene

**Survivor: _Eye of the Tiger: _**The Grand Finale

**The Temptations: _Just My Imagination: _**Credits

**S Club 7: _Bring It All Back:_** Credits

**Manfred Mann's Earth Band: _Rescue:_ **Credits

_**Trailer:**_

**Narrator: **You may recall to the funnies that Calvin and Hobbes were never meant for this. Now, they're finally getting the break they deserve in their first animated adventure.

_Calvin and Hobbes in the tree house._

**C+H: **Hear, hear!

_Calvin and Hobbes rocket down the path in the wagon with Retro in his car right behind them._

**Narrator: **Because now, when their world is threatened…

**Retro: **You won't get away _that_ easily!

_Calvin and Hobbes watching TV._

**TV Announcer:** Several children in the Metropolitan area have disappeared without a trace.

**Dad: **We might as well take our vacation now.

**Calvin:** Where are we going?

**Dad:** Camping, of course! You know, since there are so many warnings, how about we stay until it blows over?

_Mom faints._

**Calvin: **We have to take matters into our own hands.

**Hobbes:** There is a kidnapper out there. Do you know the consequences of that could be really bad?

**Calvin: **Look, Hobbes, it's a really simple choice. We can either go save Susie, Moe and everyone else we love to hate, or we can go to Itchy Island and eat fish for breakfast and spam for lunch. So are ya in?

**Hobbes: **Okay, I'm in.

**Narrator:** …they'll get the chance to become the heroes they were born to be.

**Galaxoid: **We are taking over your world.

**Calvin: **What for?

**Galaxoid: **Earth is prime real estate.

**Nebular: **Location, location, location.

**Retro: **You, my child, have just fallen into my plan!

**Calvin: **What plan?

**Retro: **Why my plan to rule the world! _Laughs manically._

**Calvin:** That is such a non-original goal for you super-villains these days.

**Retro: **I present to you, the Imaginator!

_The helmet is placed on Calvin's head. Hobbes morphs from a simple stuffed animal into his actual self._

**Kids: **AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

**Retro:** HAAAAAAAA!

**Hobbes: **WHAAAAAA…?

**Narrator: **This December…

**Stupendous Man: **Stupendous Man to the rescue!

**Narrator: **…get ready…

**Retro: **This ends now!

**Narrator: **…for big adventure…

_Calvin and Hobbes ride down the big hill before the bridge._

**Calvin: **How're ya doing, Hobbes?

**Hobbes: **I think my stomach's still on the inside!

**Narrator: **…big trouble…

_Calvin and Hobbes dangle from the cliffside._

**Hobbes:** Man, you're heavy!

**Calvin:** Shut up! Our lives are at stake!

**Narrator:** …big twists…

**Calvin: **Mom, Dad, how long were we gone? Don't you remember Hobbes?

_Mom and Dad look at Hobbes._

**Hobbes:** Remember me?

_Mom drops Calvin and faints._

**Narrator: **…big action…

_Calvin is cornered by a guard. He grabs a pencil._

**Calvin: **I'm gonna, uh, erase you out of existence!

**Narrator: **…and big surprises, as the world meets Hobbes for the very first time.

_Everyone is staring at Hobbes, unsure of what to say._

**Calvin: **Why are you all staring at him?

**Susie: **…He's _alive_.

**Calvin: **DUH! Have you all been blind for the past few years or what?

**Hobbes:** Maybe now that we're heroes, they've taken on a better respect for me. And Moe, I haven't forgotten about the bear crack. That's the biggest insult to tigers.

_Moe passes out._

**Narrator:** The Calvin & Hobbes Movie: Can You Imagine That?

**Calvin: **HANG ON, HOBBES!

**C+H: **AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!


End file.
